Policing the Police on Stop-and-Frisk

Three years have passed since a Federal District Court ruled that New York City’s stop-and-frisk program violated constitutional prohibitions against unreasonable search and seizure and discriminated against minority citizens, who were disproportionately and unjustifiably singled out for stops. A court-ordered reform process — overseen by an independent monitor — is off to a promising start. But some of the thorniest and most contentious issues lie ahead.

Under the Fourth Amendment, police officers can legally stop and detain people only when they have a reasonable suspicion that the person is committing, has committed or is about to commit a crime. In New York, however, it became common for police officers to stop mainly minority citizens, with no basis for suspicion, and then make up a reason.

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